Thephoenixrises

Hi There, I recently interviewed for a case manager position at a local hospital. The hospital indicated that its been slow in the case management department and they are trying to improve in this area. While interviewing, the manager told me that I'd be humbled by the amount of work a case manager would do. I dont know much about case management but I do know that im interested. My question is: What does a typical day look like for a case manager in a hospital setting? What are the challenges? Thanks!

Hi Brian, I've been doing HBO for about a year now and do critical care HBO. If you really want to get into it, I would consider applying to an HBO job at a Multiplace chamber site rather than a monoplace. Multiplace chambers allow you to "dive" with your patients and its definitely a better experience than treating a ICU patient in a monoplace chamber. If you are from the west coast, HBO is becoming very popular here so there are a lot of jobs opening up. It originated on the East Coast part of the Navy and is now traveling to the west coast. Hope this helps..

Samuel Merritt has programs online. Its a private university (respected) and it's expensive but its online =)

Hi all, Just wanted to get your opinion on if its wise to go into hyperbaric nursing as a new grad. I only have about 6 months of critical care experience and knew very quickly that the critical care environment was not for me. On top of it all, I have a medical condition that really makes it hard on me and so I thought wound care/hyperbaric nursing would be perfect. The economy is really bad so its hard to get into med surge so for the time being, is this a wise decision? I feel so disheartened..... and wondering whether my failure in my first attempt at nursing (the 6 months of critical care) is what i'll always be...

I know in this economy its a luxury to have a job. Its almost criminal to also give up a job... I'm a new grad and have been working for about 10 months. I work in a critical care environment during the grave yard and things have been miserable. I've noticed my health decline and this is particulary not helpful for someone who has a chronic condition that can get very serious. I had to tell my manager that i could not perform anymore. I was hopeful when he said that he might have something for me but after talking to the higher ups, there seems to be nothing for me. The worst part of it all is that i have to pay the hospital 10,000 for training costs (because i'm leaving earlier than my contract allows) even though im willing to move somewhere else in the hospital. I feel like im being slammed by my own body and by the profession. Maybe nursing is not for me... I'm not sure what to do. Also, i dont know if i can fight the contract because i've tried everything to work with the hospital but they are saying they cant accomodate me with my illness. Any inspiration would help...

Thanks so much for posting this. I am in the EXACT same position and am going to be taking steps to transfer. I feel very comforted that I know others are going through this and that im not alone..

I'm in my 30's and started my Nursing Career recently (2nd career). If I was working with you and you were saying something sensible, I don't care how old you are.. I'm more likely to go with logic. Don't let your confidence bog you down =) People will use all kinds of tactics to assert control over you when they feel like they don't have control. Be confident with your facts and dont let people move you around. If you act like a kid, people are more likely to treat you as one...

Whats done is done. Its not the best way to handle things I'm sure. Just remember that in the future. Is this the only experience you have to put on your resume? Either way, I'd leave it off. It obviously was a bad experience for you for whatever reasons and it might be best if you started with a clean slate.

I'm posting here because I am having trouble deciding what i want to do career wise. I am a new grad and have been at my position within a critical care department for about 7 months now. I signed a contract to stay with my hospital for a couple of years and was picked out of many to get this job. However, the stress and the lack of sleep/eating has caused me to feel both sick mentally and physically (totally miserable!). To boot I moved for this job and am missing my home base. I took some time off from work and am now considering to give my notice once i go back. I feel odd about giving notice because i was one of the few selected but at the same time, i feel myself getting sicker. Here are my concerns: 1.) Is it advisible to resign and break my contract? (Granted I believe i will have to pay penalties) 2.) Will i ever find a job path? (I say this in this way because the job market is so bad and am concerned that if i leave i wont find a job for a long time). 3.) What do i tell my employer as to why i'm quitting? (do I say im leaving for medical reasons? this would cause probs with other jobs..) Any constructive feedback would be appreciated. It just makes me all nervous!

I am currently a CA nurse. Heres whats in my hospital which is pretty typical throughout: Med surge: 5 to 1 ER: 4 to 1 ICU/Critical Care: 2 to 1 or 1 on 1

I am a new grad and have been working for about 6 months. When i was hired, i was put through a new grad program for about 4 of the 6 months I have been working. I signed a document saying that I would stay there for 3 years. I had to move away from home to work in another city and so far, I have been really homesick. I feel like 3 years is a long time and was wondering whether what people thought of breaking a 3 year contract. They have threatened that we have to pay back the training but there is no numbers listed in our contract. There is a line saying that we might have to pay back for training. In your advice, is it likely that they will ask you to pay back money if you break the contract? How legal is this?

Keep your head up. I am a new grad as well and I got a job in a very competitive setting. The thing i rec. is getting ACLS or PALS if you are applying to a Tele/med surg floor. Also, try to get EKG certified. The more certifications you have the better you look on paper. Also, during the interview, show that you are there for the patients and not the "job". Hope this helps..

Thanks Ukstudent. I will definitely keep my head up and continue trying for the best =)

Hi all, I'm a new nurse (been working for about 4 months) in a critical care area. I was hired because my grades were good and i showed promise. Now i'm wondering whether they made a mistake in doing such. Yesterday I had the crappiest day of my life. Everything i seemed to do was going wrong. Even when I did something right it still managed to go wrong. On top of it all, I was so embarassed and mortified when i had to report off to the next shift because of all that had happened during the day. The charge nurse told me that what had happened was not my fault but i still felt like things were my fault. (I'm being elusive because i want to maintain confidentiality). Ultimately, I know the error wasnt huge in the grand scheme of things but it just makes me feel bad. To make it worse, one of the tenured nurses (20 plus years) made the insult of the day worse by "quizzing" me during shift report. I've always thought this particular nurse was a jerk but it just made me feel worse when everyone started laughing when i answered his question wrong. I dont know... I just feel so let down. To make things even worse, the charge nurse stated how good of a nurse i was (this was prior to all the crappy stuff) and now i just wonder whether she still thinks the same or if she (and the others) think im a big imbecile. Any advice? Also, any advice on how to deal with the tenured RN? I will be working with him on that shift and I'm just sorta intimidated because he is so rude/inconsiderate and I veer on the nice side.